Camera Talk: What Cameras I Use

This is going to be a new series on my blog where I discuss the technical aspect of photography. What I use, what I want, etc.

I'm still in the stages of beginning my photography career. I have a never ending wish list, but sometimes it's hard to know what exactly to start out with; especially if you started like me as a poor college student.

I'm going to start by saying the truth. You can be a great photographer no matter what camera you shoot with. It's your own eye and your own technique. That being said certain cameras and lenses can help enhance that. (Also want to quickly add that brand is mainly personal preference. You'll see I'm a Canon girl myself, but I don't hate Nikon. It's just what I like)

I'm going to go in the order of what I started with to what I use now.

#1. Canon AL-1
Now this baby isn't technically mine. It's my moms. But it was where my love for photography really started. Before this I had some simple point and shoots and never knew about shutter speeds, apertures, etc. This was a great starter camera because it taught me everything I knew about photography. I needed it for my first photo class in college because it was film focused. A bonus to that is I also learned how to develop in a dark room as well which I dearly miss.

You can technically skip out on the film camera and go straight to a dslr, but I highly recommend trying it at least once, even if you develop the film at a store instead. It's so exciting to know you only have 24 chances and not knowing how they come out until they're developed. And a plus is most film cameras are pretty cheap to snag.

#2. Canon EOS Rebel t3i.
This was my first big investment into the photography world. This is a great starter camera for anyone who wants to really take it up a notch, but also save money. Another plus is it's super light weight compared to most in the professional series. This particular one might be a bit harder to find because now they're up to like the t5i, but in general the whole EOS range is around $500-$800 depending on what you get with it. I personally had a package where I got the camera, a kit lens, a zoom lens, camera bag, and memory card. I used both lenses frequently at first so it was worth the extra money.

This is still technically my go to camera along with one other. The only difference is now I use a 50mm as my go to lens. It's one that is relatively cheap among the lens world, but great quality, especially for macroesk shots. But I'll be getting into specific lenses later.

#3. Fujifilm x100s.
This is my most recent camera purchase. While a bit pricier when one of my professors brought it into the classroom I knew I needed it in my life. I wouldn't necessarily use it for all of my "professional" needs, but it's a great camera for such a tiny size.

I like to bring this one out when I travel because it's a lot less bulky, I have a nice carrying case so I'm less worried about damaging it, and you can make the shutter silent to take sneaky portraits of strangers on the street and such. Totally sounds creepy, but you photographers know that look people give when they hear that click and see a camera in their direction.

So these are the 3 I have and love. The next Camera Talk is going to feature what is next on my wish list.

1 comment

This was really interesting - I can't wait to read more about the lens you use.

I also use the 50mm lens for my Canon 600D and I swear by it. It is amazing and I have noticed the quality of my photos have increased at least a little since buying the lens. However, with that being said, I am very quickly outgrowing my 600D. I'm currently looking into investing a 5D Mark II.